This groundbreaking study offers a sweeping overview and reconsideration of John Calvin's theology. In Calvin's Ladder Julie Canlis recovers some of the common (and neglected) themes that Calvin shared with the patristic fathers. She shows that his works are shot through with a vibrant theology of "participation," thus placing Calvin within the Christian mystical tradition.

A work of both theology and spiritual formation, Calvin's Ladder suggests an entirely distinctive way of conceiving the relation between God and humanity, challenging not only old caricatures of Calvin but also our own self-portraits.

Jeremy Begbie— University of Cambridge"It is rare to find a book that is historically rigorous, theologically rich, lucidly written, and at the same time pastorally engaging: this book by Julie Canlis is all of these. A superb exposition of a theme at the very heart of the Christian life."

George Hunsinger— Princeton Theological Seminary"In this groundbreaking work Julie Canlis offers a bold, new interpretation of Calvin. Alongside his favorite and well-known metaphors of the Labyrinth and the Abyss we must now unexpectedly place the Ladder. Calvin affirms this metaphor only to undermine and reinvent it at the same time. Canlis gives us a striking interpretation of how Calvin and the Reformation understood the doctrine of salvation — an interpretation of wide ecumenical significance."

Eugene H. Peterson— Regent College"Calvin comes into clear and compelling focus in Julie Canlis's Calvin's Ladder as a theologian and pastor who insists that the Christian life at the core is a matter of Christ drawing us into a full participation in all the operations of the Trinity and the community of the church. The academic precision on offer here is in the service of lived, not just argued, theology."